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Yahoo Email + RSS Integrates Blogs

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the makes-sense-to-me dept.

yapplejax writes "In the new war of the Internet based applications, Yahoo is testing creating an email folder as the hub for RSS instead of using a web page for the feeds. " I've long thought this was the best way to do it- I've used web and application RSS readers for years, and email clients are simply a better interface.

133 comments

  1. Finally! by ravan_a · · Score: 1

    I love being able to use it in Thunderbird, now to be able to do it when I dont have one of my machines....awesome!

    --
    -ravan_a
    1. Re:Finally! by supra · · Score: 1

      Evolution 1.x used to support RSS (not sure which versions) on an overview page that included weather and mail summaries. They dropped it in 2.x because "stand alone readers/aggregators are better suited to the task". Since Evo 2.x arrived, I've tried several RSS readers for Linux as well as Firefox's Live Bookmarks, and I still miss it in Evolution. Not because it was presented well (it only presented a hyperlinked title), but because of accessibility. Presenting each feed as a folder sounds good. But an overview page to quickly scan your most-read feeds is great.

      --
      On a computer or under a hood.
  2. Associated Press article by yapplejax · · Score: 3, Informative

    The AP is reporting on this as well.

  3. Pine by SpaceAdmiral · · Score: 2, Funny

    I've been Pine-ing for this for a while now.

    Get it? Pine? Pining? Hahahahahahahasomebodykillme

  4. Bloglines is my answer by phildog · · Score: 5, Insightful
    >I've used web and application RSS readers for years, and email clients are simply a better interface.

    Don't think I've ever seen CmdrTaco reply in comments, but I'd love to hear his reasons for this. I've gone the hardcore geeky route with rss2email and also the true standalone desktop aggregator route. What I've settled on is Bloglines, because I use 4 machines in different locations quite frequently. Bloglines simply makes this easiest and maintains state perfectly between all 4. I'm on win2k, XP, and OSX on those 4 machines. The Bloglines notifier extension for Firefox is quite handy as well.

    --
    slashsearch.org - slashdot search. powered by google.
    1. Re:Bloglines is my answer by halr9000 · · Score: 1

      +1 And it also works *great* on a small screen PDA or phone. They automatically serve a lighter weight html/css/jscript for those devices.

    2. Re:Bloglines is my answer by le+blackbeard · · Score: 1

      Don't think I've ever seen CmdrTaco reply in comments(...)

      He often does.

    3. Re:Bloglines is my answer by McFadden · · Score: 0, Offtopic
      He often does

      Wow... October 27th must have been a slack day for news....

    4. Re:Bloglines is my answer by shokk · · Score: 1

      I like Feed On Feeds. The new Yahoo Mail interface is so terribly slow that I went back to the old version.

      --
      "Beware of he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart, he dreams himself your master."
    5. Re:Bloglines is my answer by NardofDoom · · Score: 1
      /me goes to Bloglines
      "There is a problem with the database. Please try again later"

      Real great stuff they got there...

      --
      You have two hands and one brain, so always code twice as much as you think!
  5. Search Technorati for '"river of news" email' by supton · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Be careful with this UI concept: email demands immediate attention. More discussion, via technorati: http://technorati.com/search/%22river+of+news%22+e mail

    1. Re:Search Technorati for '"river of news" email' by supton · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Another good read: "The Problem With RSS Readers Inspired By Outlook"

    2. Re:Search Technorati for '"river of news" email' by JaredOfEuropa · · Score: 4, Interesting
      Be careful with this UI concept: email demands immediate attention.
      Only if you let it. Many people do treat email like the phone or an IM client, but reading and responding to email is a task in its own right; something you should sit down for and focus on. If you get lots of email, try ignoring incoming mail if you're working on something else (turn the "new email" sound off!). When you feel like it, process all items in your inbox in one go. Trust me, you'll feel much less "swamped" by your email this way. Oh, and if you're afraid of missing an urgent mail item... if something is really urgent, people will call you, believe me.

      With that said, I prefer the specialised RSS readers over Outlook-lookalikes.
      --
      If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
    3. Re:Search Technorati for '"river of news" email' by interiot · · Score: 0, Redundant

      Mod up the parent and grandparent!

    4. Re:Search Technorati for '"river of news" email' by Mark+Hood · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I couldn't agree more.

      I used to have my email client beep and flash to tell me I had new email, then I realised I wasn't getting anything done.

      So now, it doesn't even tell me if I have unread mail or not - I check it when I'm not busy, and deal with anything then.

      People still thought I'll respond instantly, but it doesn't take long to train them that if something needs my attention, call me - and if I'm too busy, leave a voice message. They get priority, email is an 'as and when' proposition now.

      Mark

      --
      Liked this comment? Why not buy me something nice
  6. Thunderbird by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Thunderbird is the best interface for RSS feeds currently. I do have 5 feeds on "My Yahoo" portal, but they are only really good for headlines. I'll be anxious to see the feeds in the Yahoo mail interface to see how they compare.

  7. Hotmail soon to follow? Gmail? by rascanban · · Score: 0

    How long do you think it will be before the other 2 pretty girls show up to the party in the same dress?

    --
    "Beauty is the ultimate defense against complexity." - David Gelernter
  8. Is this another path for SPAM? by Kirellii · · Score: 1, Interesting

    You know I use to get hardly any SPAM in the old days. I had to go out of my way to find porn on the internet. Now, it is knocking at the door with enhancements I won't need for decades if ever. Somehow, I just know this is going to be exploited somehow. Can anyone explain this in terms that a Windows user could understand? I am without caffeine this morning and this whole thing makes no sense in my fuzzy state. Is this enhancement needed or just another offer?

    1. Re:Is this another path for SPAM? by SpaceAdmiral · · Score: 3, Informative

      Unlike email, people can't just send you an RSS feed. You need to subscribe. (i.e. your RSS-client needs to be set to go check the feed every so often to see if there's anything new)

      To the best of my knowledge, if you get spam from this, it's your own fault for subscribing to crappy feeds.

    2. Re:Is this another path for SPAM? by Kirellii · · Score: 1

      Thanks - that helped. So for the majority of people who don't know reliable sources or feeds and cruise the internet indescriminately - this is just a way of making oneself have to wade through loads of *stuff*. I am sure most will somehow collect more SPAMMISH junk than they do now through poor content choices. I think I will just trust Slashdot and the Commander to gather important stuff for me to read and then wander the net. Sometimes though - I wish there were more /. polls dealing with hardware choices for Christmas or the cool tools to choose from like IPODs or even pros and cons of the Internet providers themselves. Heck, I guess an honest assessment of cell phone companies would be out of the question too. (No Replies Necessary - don't want flame - just think about it if you have stories to submit that would help a shopper out.)

    3. Re:Is this another path for SPAM? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Do the letters SPAM stand for something? People seem to always write it in uppercase.

    4. Re:Is this another path for SPAM? by richardablitt · · Score: 1

      Stupid, Pointless, Annoying Messages is often used. Not sure if there's anything official. It might also be to differenciate itself from the meat based product, which is Spam (or something).

    5. Re:Is this another path for SPAM? by Flinx_ca · · Score: 1

      Are you asking what RSS is or are you asking why someone would want to add it to an email client?

    6. Re:Is this another path for SPAM? by mdecarle · · Score: 1

      Maybe people are so mad with it they're always yelling it: SPAM!

    7. Re:Is this another path for SPAM? by Kirellii · · Score: 1

      I at least love the skit, but what are we talking about - we're talking about SPAM! (Chorus: Spam Spam Spam Spam...) "Spam" is a popular Monty Python sketch, first broadcast in 1970. In the sketch, two customers are trying to order a breakfast without SPAM from a menu that includes the processed meat product in every item. The term spam (in electronic communication) is derived from this sketch. It features Terry Jones as The Waitress, Eric Idle as Mr Bun and Graham Chapman as Mrs Bun. The televised skit also featured John Cleese as The Hungarian, but this part was left out of audio recordings of the sketch. Only two minutes long, it builds up into a semi-argument between the waitress who is offering Spam with everything, and Mrs Bun who does not want it. Not even the "Lobster Thermidor aux Crevette with a mornay sauce served in a Provençale manner with shallots and aubergines garnished with truffle pâté, brandy and with a fried egg on top and Spam." Waitress: (brightly) "Well, there's Spam, egg, sausage, and Spam, that's not got much Spam in it." Mrs Bun: (exasperated) "I don't want any Spam!" Mr Bun attempts to mollify his wife: Mr Bun: "Don't make a fuss, dear. I'll have your Spam. I love it. I'm having Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, baked beans, Spam, Spam, and Spam." Waitress: "Baked beans are off." Mr Bun: (to Waitress) "Well, can I have Spam instead?" Waitress: "You mean Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, and Spam?" At several points, a group of Vikings in the cafe drown out all conversation by loudly singing a song about "Spam, lovely Spam, wonderful Spam." They are interrupted by the waitress many times, but they resume singing more and more loudly until at last the song reaches an operatic climax. The sketch was the final sketch of the 25th show of Monty Python's Flying Circus, and was first aired December 15, 1970. Despite its shortness, the sketch became immensely popular. The word "Spam" is mentioned 94 times. Oddly enough, the first two items mentioned from the menu do not contain spam, specifically "Egg and Bacon" and "Egg, Sausage, and Bacon."

  9. I like the privacy of anonymity better by CodeShark · · Score: 3, Insightful
    Not to belabor the point, but why would I want a giant provider like Yahoo (or Google for that matter) to have any idea which RSS feeds I am getting?

    Give me a local machine (which is to say non-spyware) version of this and I might just be interested because then my RSS choices don't automatically associate me with any particular group in the corporate and/or government mindsets. For example, if a particular RSS feed is read frequently by a known terrorist, I am also then to be associated with a known terrorist?

    No thanks, I'd rather be invisible and local.

    --
    ...Open Source isn't the only answer -- but it's almost always a better value than the alternatives...
    1. Re:I like the privacy of anonymity better by jschmeling · · Score: 1

      But you aren't invisible and local because the server logs still note who connected to the site and received updates, right? So, it's just a matter of google or Yahoo or any other aggregator being easier to subpoena, not that the local machines are untraceable.

    2. Re:I like the privacy of anonymity better by CodeShark · · Score: 1

      Good points. But server-logs, etc. are enough removed from my actual identity (and I am with a small enough local ISP) that I would like to think that the judicial system(s) wouldn't grant a carte blanche "cyber-warrant" to an investigative agency to go after anyone who may have ever read a particular RSS based on some nebulous idea in a "bad-cop" world that such a warrant would help them identify me as something I am not.

      --
      ...Open Source isn't the only answer -- but it's almost always a better value than the alternatives...
    3. Re:I like the privacy of anonymity better by palad1 · · Score: 1

      No thanks, I'd rather be invisible and local.

      You're using HTTP in order to get your xml/rss feeds, right? So that means each and every request may contain one or many of those lovely delicacies known as cookies. Besides, many rss readers rely on the ie activeX for the dirty plumbing stuff.

      I think I'll stick with stealing the morning newspaper from the paperboy's bike to get my news.

    4. Re:I like the privacy of anonymity better by krislyn · · Score: 1
      Because if you're not doing anything wrong, you've got nothing to worry about?

      Oh ... woops, never mind.

    5. Re:I like the privacy of anonymity better by IAmTheDave · · Score: 1
      No thanks, I'd rather be invisible and local.

      I think I'll stick with stealing the morning newspaper from the paperboy's bike to get my news.

      Boy, that just went from paranoid to paranoid...er. Companies track trends, its true. My fear is not that Yahoo has some clue as to what I read (shit, when you search for "xxx boobies" they probably know who you are) but it's when the government gets the ability to subpoena that information that I start to get scared.

      --
      Excuse my speling.
      Making The Bar Project
    6. Re:I like the privacy of anonymity better by blueZhift · · Score: 1

      While I don't believe that there actually is such a thing as anonymity on the internet, that is it is a good assumption that people can always find out who you are, you make a good point. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch for Yahoo or Google to use RSS subscription data for marketing purposes. Indeed, I'd be surprised if they didn't. That said, I like the email+rss idea which if widely adopted will probably increase the popularity of blogs, which may or may not be a good thing...smirk

      --
      To the making of books there is no end, so let's get started
    7. Re:I like the privacy of anonymity better by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I would more like YaHoo! to know what RSS feeds I read than Google. I am sure the Gpeople keep every bit of information in their databases, thus creating a usefull profile of you. At YaHoo! (or -for that matter- Microsoft), this is a simple stand-alone application, that has no further links to other systems - apart maybe from a authentication system.

      OK, bring it on, these companies are evil, and Google is not ... blabla ...

    8. Re:I like the privacy of anonymity better by corblix · · Score: 1
      Not to belabor the point, but why would I want a giant provider like Yahoo (or Google for that matter) to have any idea which RSS feeds I am getting?

      So that they can help you get them, through a convenient, well organized interface.

      You have certainly pointed out some real disadvantages to this approach. However, it is silly to suggest there are not any advantages.

    9. Re:I like the privacy of anonymity better by eatjello · · Score: 1

      your faith in the US judicial process leads me to believe you haven't read your RSS feeds lately. Many US citizens have been arrested merely based on their associations lately; some have been sent to Gitmo, where the Geneva accords are considered suggestion, not policy. I would not be surprised if subscribing to a radical Islam RSS feed would get you arrested and questioned within a matter of days. In fact, anyone brave enough to try this and find out for the rest of us?

  10. Big Deal. Use Thunderbird by rueger · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Hmmmph.... news? Thunderbird does RSS just fine, and displays the blog page to boot.

    --
    Three Squirrels
    1. Re:Big Deal. Use Thunderbird by kurt_ram · · Score: 0

      Only if you dont use Opera. If you use Opera, you dont need a separate application to manage emails and aggregating RSS feeds. One more reason why Opera is better.

      --
      Clearly, Google is the next Microsoft.
    2. Re:Big Deal. Use Thunderbird by concept10 · · Score: 0

      I loved using Thunderbird for fetching and reading RSS feeds but since i'm attempting to do some application redux around here, I just use Sage within Firefox. I hate having two applications open to do one thing.. it seems no one wants to bridge the gap properly.

      Thunderbird 1.07 doesnt allow you to export OMPL, although 1.5 does.

      But honestly i'm waiting on mutt to integrate some new AJAX RSS extension. :)

    3. Re:Big Deal. Use Thunderbird by concept10 · · Score: 0

      Great suggestion, because right now i'm digging Opera over Firefox because of the speed, but there is only one caveat.. i can't import my OMPL file into the Opera feed reader.

    4. Re:Big Deal. Use Thunderbird by baadger · · Score: 1

      Try Googling for: opml opera

      Is that so hard?

  11. feh cryin' out load by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wow, it'd almost be like using an nntp client.

  12. Old news by porneL · · Score: 3, Informative

    That's nothing new for M2 users...

    1. Re:Old news by Vicsun · · Score: 3, Interesting

      As much as I love Opera and it's email/RSS client, it's not quite the same thing as what Yahoo's offering, the difference being that Yahoo's version is web-based and can be accessed from any computer. I personally use Opera's RSS client at home, since it's just so damn awesome, and Google Reader while on an alien PC.

    2. Re:Old news by jpop32 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      the difference being that Yahoo's version is web-based and can be accessed from any computer.

      And that's why I carry my Opera RSS feeds on a USB stick (basically, you just need to move the Mail directory in Opera's app data dir). You need to have Opera installed on the machine to access it, but I rarely have the need for RSS feeds on other people's computers. As long as my laptop, my work PC and my home PC are synchronized, I'm fine.

  13. Newspaper-style is the best for RSS feeds by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I use Onfolio to read read and go over my RSS feeds. It integrated with Firefox, so I can make use of all the Firefox extensions when browsing the feeds.

    I don't think using an email client to read RSS feeds is the best choice. The best choice is having the RSS reader generate a 'newspaper-style' webpage that lists all the latest posts in a certain feed folder.

    Using an email client for news reading is so 1999. You'll have to click on each headline to know what the content is all about in the preview pane. Using the newspaper-style, you can just skim over posts very quickly, while not only having the headline, but the content too. Using the space bar key, you just go down page by page.

    1. Re:Newspaper-style is the best for RSS feeds by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      good ole firefox, what with the live bookmarks, who needs more? I will have to try this Onfolio thing though, sounds cool

    2. Re:Newspaper-style is the best for RSS feeds by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I have 600 feeds. I don't think live bookmarks will cut it for me.

  14. Getting there by ptomblin · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You know, the number of times bloggers try to turn blogging into something more like Usenet, you'd think eventually they'd figure it out and go back to Usenet.

    --
    The next Cmdr Taco duplicate will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush and see it early!
    1. Re:Getting there by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Usenet is dying because it is not Web 2.0 Compliant.

      Can I tag Usenet groups? Can I delicious them to the bookmarkiverse and flickr them across the photosphere? Can I TrackBack a Usenet post and moblog a counterpost from a flashmob?

      No? Not interested. (sips latte)

    2. Re:Getting there by raddan · · Score: 1

      I'm waiting for gopher to come back in style, man.

    3. Re:Getting there by happyfrogcow · · Score: 1

      No? Not interested. (sips latte)

      this is where we slap you with a wet trout...

    4. Re:Getting there by JhohannaVH · · Score: 1

      *thank you*!!!

      --
      Sorry man... the Internet pooped on me.
    5. Re:Getting there by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'd answer all those questions, if only I had any fucking idea what you just asked.

    6. Re:Getting there by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The missing element of the equation!

      1. flashmobing the flickrverse through moblog trackbacks
      2. latte
      3. profit!

      It all seems so simple now.

      P.S. "Web 2.0" is like, so, 2004.

  15. How about using a newsgroup reader instead? by Ktistec+Machine · · Score: 1

    It seems to me that a newsgroup reader (e.g.,rtin) would be even better for reading RSS feeds. Is there any service analogous to gmane that does this for RSS feeds?

    1. Re:How about using a newsgroup reader instead? by n0dalus · · Score: 1

      Try nntp//rss. http://www.methodize.org/nntprss/
      As for an online and pre-existing service like Gmane, I don't know. This allows you to run your own local nntp server for rss feeds though.

  16. Get yourself a KlipFolio by xoip · · Score: 1

    Forget about email as an rss reader...Klip Folio from Serence is way more versitile.

    1. Re:Get yourself a KlipFolio by JamesGecko · · Score: 1

      From their website:
      "Enjoy the performance. Despite all that's new, KlipFolio 3.0 is lightning fast and uses almost no resources."

      And then, the system requirements
      "Windows 2000 & XP
      Pentium II Class CPU or greater
      64 MB RAM or greater recommended)"

      The meaning of "no resources" seems to have climbed a bit...
      An RSS notification app that wants 64 MB RAM? That's almost as bad as Firefox. It dosen't even include a reader, you have to use IE for that!

  17. RSS growth is slowing by broward · · Score: 1

    Yahoo is catching the meme just as it peaks.
    RSS growth will peak and flatten in 2006, as will blog growth.

    http://www.realmeme.com:8080/roller/page/realmeme? entry=rss_meme_still_pre_inflection

  18. Outlook 12 by malachai · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Outlook 12 Beta 1 is also incorporating RSS into a mail folder. Seems to be a trend, not necessarily headline news, especially since other mail/news readers have been doing this for a while.

  19. Mod Parent Up by CliffSpradlin · · Score: 1

    Opera has had an email-style RSS feed aggregator for a long time now.

  20. NIce.. by sabit666 · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Dugg! eh.. sorry, wrong website.

  21. Hey, I'm a big fan. by Noog · · Score: 1

    I thought you were dead or something. I posted insane priest on k5 a while back as a sign of respect.

    1. Re:Hey, I'm a big fan. by Noog · · Score: 1

      http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2005/10/31/17417/635 Yeah K5 is crap anyway. They anonied all my accounts the other day for no apparent reason.

  22. Newsgator by p0 · · Score: 1

    Ive used Bloglines, Newsgator and Google Reader. So far, Newsgator seems to be the most easiest to use, much better than any damn email reader interface can do. Yes, it is much easier to use than Google Reader.

    --
    This is my sig. There are thousands more, but this one is mine.
  23. UUNET and GNUS by putko · · Score: 1

    Gnus takes the approach that your email is like a special UUNET group.

    So it is a newsreader that can do your mail too.

    --
    http://www.thebricktestament.com/the_law/when_to_s tone_your_children/dt21_18a.html
    1. Re:UUNET and GNUS by gothfox · · Score: 1
      As the enlightened know, Gnus can do everything. RSS, news, mail, whatever. Seriously (I don't mean parent poster), if you didn't try Gnus and aren't afraid of a little Lisp here and there, give it a try. It will blow your mind away.

      It's a shame, that for 5 years I've been reading Slashdot, it is actually first time I see Gnus being mentioned in email-related discussion. Those kids with their posh buttony mail clients, Thunderbird, bah!

    2. Re:UUNET and GNUS by Phillip2 · · Score: 1

      If only Gnus did exchange servers, I would be such a happy man. Since
      I've been forced onto an exchange server, nothing has ever been the
      same again. Click, click, point, crawl through email in outlook that I would
      have flown through in Gnus.

      I really miss it.

      Phil

    3. Re:UUNET and GNUS by gothfox · · Score: 1

      Well, Gnus does IMAP, so if you have IMAP enabled on your exchange server you could try connecting to it this way. Not everyone enables IMAP access though, and there could be some compatibility issues (I never actually tried myself, our company uses only OSS mail clients and servers), but it's worth a try anyway.

    4. Re:UUNET and GNUS by Phillip2 · · Score: 1

      They damn sys admins switched it off. By only supporting
      one email client and nobbling all the others, they ensure that
      they have to do the minimum amount of work necessary, while
      their users have to put up with a crap client.

      Great plan. For them.

      Phil

  24. depends on the feed by acroyear · · Score: 3, Interesting

    some sites i prefer processing the RSS through Thunderbird (Newsgator can do the same for Outlook users). other sites are more "blog" like to me and I prefer to read it in a blog style. I let LiveJournal syndicate and group them together so I get all my politics blogs in a single place & style, then all my web design feeds in one place, then my science ones, plus I can get my friends' blogs for those that aren't LJ users to be part of my "friends" list as if they all were in once place.

    I've been sketching out ideas and prototypes on a "feedmixer" project, a php system that would do what LJ does in mixing feed entries into a single place, only more like JavaBlogs, it would mix multiple feeds into a single RSS feed, then CSS, XSL, and Ajax can be used to read it in blog style OR you can get them into a single place in Thunderbird.

    --
    "But remember, most lynch mobs aren't this nice." (H.Simpson)
    -- Joe
    1. Re:depends on the feed by Mike+Peel · · Score: 1

      I'm currently trying to do something like that - KickRSS (example). Take a look. You might find it useful.

    2. Re:depends on the feed by acroyear · · Score: 1

      that's close to what i want, though my user interface ideas are a little different. my current hassles are 1) i really lack the time, 2) i'm actually concerned with preserving extensions, particularly the multiple ways of dating a feed item and getting things mixed properly by true date rather than just by when it was read, and 3) Ajax is still in the process of mucking with my brain over what can and can't be done, considering the last major php project i worked on was 3 years ago.

      though really its the time thing more than anything else. i'm heavily doing Java driven Ajax JSPs (and taglibs so the other developers can use my stuff without having to learn a thousand lines of javascript) and am really drained by the end of the day...

      --
      "But remember, most lynch mobs aren't this nice." (H.Simpson)
      -- Joe
    3. Re:depends on the feed by acroyear · · Score: 1

      actually, i just read that you've seen the date problem as well (and the same solution i had come to). :)

      --
      "But remember, most lynch mobs aren't this nice." (H.Simpson)
      -- Joe
    4. Re:depends on the feed by acroyear · · Score: 2, Interesting

      to be more specific -- "daily" updates are lousy in blog-style. Newspapers and daily update sites like sjgames.com are definitely "inbox" things because they get populated overnight and are in my mailbox-like folder in Thunderbird just fine.

      feeds that are blogs are meant to be read in blog style, even if i'm reading them through my own (livejournal-driven) aggregated UI rather than going to each site individually (becausing remembering to visit all my bookmarks sucks -- let my aggregator visit my bookmarks for me). lj's filters/groups allow me to sort them into reasonable categories.

      sites that change a whole bunch of pages weekly (ibm developer-works) are best for the live-bookmarks feature of firefox. (otherwise, i rarely use it; i think its the worst UI for RSS, and am pissed that firefox hasn't approved the feature to give the little orange icon a clipboard interface when the page designer doesn't put the feed link into the main page -- i have to do view-source and lookup the feed in the meta tags and that sucks).

      the tricky bit is how to deal with feeds from wiki updates and the like, where little things keep coming up. they can flood both a blog-style and an inbox-style reader (and would certainly drive live-bookmarks bonkers). this is a style of feed that needs a rethink in terms of design and rendering -- more abilities to filter than the standard wiki provides.

      --
      "But remember, most lynch mobs aren't this nice." (H.Simpson)
      -- Joe
  25. Usenet vs. RSS by jfengel · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The most fundamental difference between usenet and RSS is that Usenet is push, and RSS is pull. The push nature of Usenet makes spam really, really easy, and hard to fight. You end up accepting a lot of crap on your machine, and filter it out later. When you go to an RSS feed you know that there is control over it, and if one particular source starts spewing junk you stop reading it.

    It also makes Usenet very democratic: anybody can say anything, anonymously. Those two things will always be opposite sides of the same coin. RSS requires more resources of your own (though there are a remarkable number of free blogging sites, so anybody anywhere can create a blog as long as they have Web access).

    Unfortunately, the number of anonymous sources with brilliant information is infinitesimal compared to the number of people willing to spew crap into whatever data stream is available for free. And that's why bloggers won't go to Usenet: they lack the control necessary to keep readers. RSS gives them that control.

    1. Re:Usenet vs. RSS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Problem is the new protocol that everyone is using, also called the "feedmesh". It's a stream protocol, with servers broadcasting rss updates in a single line, xml tag. Its a push technology. It's already heavily undulated with spam, making alot of problems for RSS crawlers.

    2. Re:Usenet vs. RSS by mewphobia · · Score: 1
      The most fundamental difference between usenet and RSS is that Usenet is push, and RSS is pull. The push nature of Usenet makes spam really, really easy, and hard to fight. You end up accepting a lot of crap on your machine, and filter it out later. When you go to an RSS feed you know that there is control over it, and if one particular source starts spewing junk you stop reading it.

      Huh? Sorry but you lost me already. They are both PULL. With usenet, you connect to your usenet server, see if there are any more posts, and if so, download them.

      _This is exactly how RSS works_

      The difference is that because you can subscribe to a particular user/blogger, the crap you deal with decreases, because the value of the content of what someone says is less variable than the value of the content of what a group of people say.

    3. Re:Usenet vs. RSS by jfengel · · Score: 1

      The push is on the posting end. Rather than there being one particular server for each news feed, each post is pushed out to all of the Usenet servers in the world. It's very clever, and nicely redundant (in the good way), but the pull is only for the last mile from your NNTP host to your client.

      I suppose you could use the Usenet protocol like this, where each blogger set up his own Usenet server and you pulled from that. That would have some advantages over RSS (like two-way communication). But that's not the way Usenet is done now. Now it's one server per client, rather than one server per poster, and a whole lot of copying.

  26. reminds me of USENET by ikanreed+2 · · Score: 3, Funny

    The internet is coming full circle, this is almost like usenet all over again, only with even worse spelling this time around.

    1. Re:reminds me of USENET by MrHatken · · Score: 1

      Good point.

      Although (obviously) this time it is (mostly) pull, there is no (common) archive, and if you're away for a month you (may) lose a lot of "postings." (I'm not sure if some aggregators will keep items indefinitely even if they are removed from the feed, but I am pretty sure that referred content won't always stay around).

      Cheers,
      Ashley.

  27. Email clients suck by stavromueller · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    I hate platform-based email clients. I can get my mail, RSS feeds, and a whole boatload of crap I don't need from my personalized Google home page and it loads in under a second. I don't have to have some memory-hogging program eat my RAM when I'm don't even care to check the news or mail, and the information is right in front of me whenever I open an internet browser...which is probably the most used application on my computer.

    Long live Google.

    --
    I kill harmless processes for sport
    1. Re:Email clients suck by generic-man · · Score: 1

      And when Firefox crashes due to some JavaScript it didn't like, it takes down your mail client, your newsreader, your word processor, and all your other "applications" with it. I wish Firefox would run every window in its own process like IE does; it would make Firefox feel less "snappy" but it would do wonders for crash resistance.

      --
      For more information, click here.
    2. Re:Email clients suck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or once you find the right extension to get session support in your firefox, or use Opera where it just works, if your browser crashes you just launch it again and most things come right back up the way they were.

    3. Re:Email clients suck by generic-man · · Score: 1

      Both of those methods will bring you back to the URL listed in the address bar. If you're using a JavaScript application where everything's done with DOM manipulation, your session will return you to the home page / login page of an application where you must let your web browser offer to log you back in.

      I still like pluggable authentication modules, virtual memory, and signals -- you know, stuff that's been around for decades that people are only starting to attempt to reimplement in JavaScript.

      --
      For more information, click here.
    4. Re:Email clients suck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Since when did IE do that? I don't think I've ever seen IE crash and *not* take down every browser window with it...

  28. Fusemail does this by GangstaLean · · Score: 1

    Email provider Fusemail (www.fusemail.com) already does this. Not that it's earth-shattering, but honestly I prefer email integrated RSS.

    1. Faster to forward articles of interest
    2. One interface to deal with reading text content
    3. IMAP shows articles read / unread and supports flaggging, marking of messages

    I'm sure I could do this with another program / web site. Why would I want to?

    --
    -- Bird in the Bush: The Renewable Energy Blog http://www.birdinthebush.org
  29. Re:Hotmail soon to follow? Gmail? by digitaldc · · Score: 0

    Girls wear dresses to parties? Since when?

    --
    He who knows best knows how little he knows. - Thomas Jefferson
  30. I long for the day when someone with a brain by Noog · · Score: 1

    develops an application that is just so universal and expandable that it can cope with anything and do anything with any data. It could show RSS as RSS or as email, or MSN it to you or anything. Everyone would have their only person "UNIVERSAL SUPER APPLICATION" that would receive or fetch data in any form and send it to you in your prefered form. I'd write it, but I have a job and so don't have enough time for personal projects.

  31. Correction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Oh, and if you're afraid of missing an urgent mail item... if something is really urgent, people will call you, believe me.

    If it's urgent to them, they will call you. If it's only urgent for you, then you really can't count on that.

  32. And everything old is new again by dv8ed · · Score: 3, Funny

    So we're back to listservs now?

  33. Akregator presents RSS in this way by brunes69 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Screenshots

    1. Re:Akregator presents RSS in this way by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Akregator does NOT do anything remotely like what OP is asking for.

    2. Re:Akregator presents RSS in this way by JPriest · · Score: 1

      I prefer not to pull down the entire article, I have a web browser for this. I use a Windows reader called Klipfolio. It has panels that display just the headlines, I mouse over for the first part of the article, or open the link in my browser if I want to read it. I know I should probably start using a "regular" RSS reader, but I am not giving up Klipfolio.

      --
      Saying Java is nice because it works on all OS's is like saying that anal sex is nice because it works on all genders.
  34. users? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hey Yahoo! Cool idea but how about letting paying customers actually USE THE DAMN THING?!?

  35. Re:Hotmail soon to follow? Gmail? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I might, if it's an especially formal event, such as a wedding. Otherwise I just stay with my standard t-shirt (or sweater, this time of years) and jeans.

  36. Thought Police are gonna get you! by Macka · · Score: 0, Troll
    I've long thought this was the best way to do it
    Whoops, you should've patented it then while you had the chance. Now Yahoo will sue your ass for daring to steal their IP thoughts and boasting about it in public ;-)

  37. What about RSS feeds for Yahoo Groups by greensasquatch · · Score: 1

    I subscribe to several yahoo groups and would love to see rss feeds for them. They could even make me look at an advertisement with each message instead of just with the index page. The yahoo groups interface is horrible but the content can be quite vaulable, if they made it easier to view I, and many others would probably check it out more often.

    1. Re:What about RSS feeds for Yahoo Groups by generic-man · · Score: 1

      They already do that. Here's the RSS feed for a group called "overlib." You don't get the full content of posts, but it's useful for getting notifications of new posts.

      Personally I prefer to use Yahoo Groups as mailing lists, filtered appropriately, by changing my group options to "receive individual messages." I can even respond to posts by e-mail without going through the awful web interface.

      --
      For more information, click here.
  38. It doesn't pull down the whole article... by brunes69 · · Score: 1

    ... if you don't have that mode selected.

    There are multiple modes, see screenshots.

    1. Re:It doesn't pull down the whole article... by JPriest · · Score: 1

      I uploaded a screenshot of Klipfolio here.

      --
      Saying Java is nice because it works on all OS's is like saying that anal sex is nice because it works on all genders.
  39. Isn't this the Oddpost technology? by Sagarian · · Score: 1

    If memory serves, Yahoo! bought oddpost, whose schtick was web-based email with RSS feeds integrated as email folders -- wonder if it's the same stuff, or bolted on to Yahoo! mail, or just re-implemented entirely?

    1. Re:Isn't this the Oddpost technology? by donpezet · · Score: 1

      Sort of. I am an Oddpost user and we were offered "beta" access to the new Yahoo interface about four months ago. It is just a slightly reworked version of the Oddpost interface we have been using since the begining. RSS feeds just show up as another folder under our inbox folder tree.

      Don

  40. Poor guy ... by hummassa · · Score: 1, Funny

    MODERATORS PLEASE MOD PARENT -6 Unfunny.
    Or someone in his area take him behind the barn and end his misery.

    --
    It's better to be the foot on the boot than the face on the pavement. ~~ tkx Kadin2048
  41. I never used an RSS Reader-I ever used Opera Mail by perler · · Score: 1
    I just can't imagine to have to switch an RSS reader for my feeds. This is IMHO completely against the reason for (at least News-) RSS feeds. I want to know about news on sites automatically, and i want to read these sites without switching to a browser and back to the reader for the next feed.

    And all this has Opera's Mail Reader M2. The Mail sidebar is permanently open and i get informed about new RSS feeds as about new mail while I browse the web.

    So it should be. Amen.

    PAT

    --
    SEO Test: TIGI und SEBASTIAN - Online Shop - V
  42. The Church of Outlookology by AndroidCat · · Score: 1
    I'm fancinated by the people who adopt an organized lifestyle approach to email/PIM stuff that they apply religiously. I'm currently reading Sally McGhee's "Take Back Your Life!", Microsoft Press, on how to use Outlook to organize everything. Buried in the Acknowledgements is Werner Erhard, founder of EST, The Forum and Landmark, himself a splitter from Scientology. Hmm.

    Still, I have to agree with the idea that shifting stuff out of the inbox (even if to a folder named "Sometime Later") in batches is a good idea. Some people just can't get used to the idea that email is asynchronous, and that I'm not going to read/reply immediately. Oh well.

    --
    One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
  43. Nononono by Xenious · · Score: 1

    I hope I understood this right but people are saying email is a better way to read RSS feads?? wTF??? I like the way Safari does it. I have a group of RSS feeds and it will tell me how many new entries there are (looks like this: Cool News (15) ). Then I just open that link in Safari and read the headlines. I open up articles for more details if I want.

    The only sad thing is it streamlined my web browsing so much that I end up with too much free time at home! ahah

    Why would I want to pollute my inbox with these rss feeds? Yeech.

    --
    -Xen
  44. Full circle by commanderfoxtrot · · Score: 3, Insightful

    So we're back to Usenet... finally!

    Has anyone else noticed the trend to read RSS of blogs/forums in an application window- is rather similar to basic old Usenet of old?

    --
    http://blog.grcm.net/
    1. Re:Full circle by Al+Dimond · · Score: 1

      Yes. That's kind of what I'd always thought about RSS, and if it's integrated into an e-mail client it's even more so.

    2. Re:Full circle by pmancini · · Score: 1

      Oddly this morning I was thinking the same thing - we need to return to a single, simple source for this kind of information that Usenet used to provide. Its great that there are many more outlets, which offers choice, but with so many different interfaces its not been fun and impossible to integrate searching and browsing. I hardly ever go to the Slashdot front page any more now that I use RSS folders in firefox.

  45. Re:Plus, minus... by shokk · · Score: 1

    Um... RTFM?
    It's an RSS reader, not a blog management system.

    I think it sucks compared to solutions like Feed On Feeds.

    --
    "Beware of he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart, he dreams himself your master."
  46. RSS2Email by altp · · Score: 1

    http://www.aaronsw.com/2002/rss2email/

    Great little app.

    Set it up as a cron, use your normal email filters to sort all the RSS feeds.

  47. the Newsreader is reinvented? by wardk · · Score: 0

    Wow. it's deja vu alll over again

  48. Google Reader by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What about Google Reader?

    1. Re:Google Reader by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Requires many many more features to make it more usable. But frankly I have not seen Yahoo one yet too.

  49. Two things by Infonaut · · Score: 2, Insightful
    wall st analysts are initiating a downgrade and sell

    Mmm.. no. The market as a whole dropped yesterday, supposedly because of inflation fears.

    i used to respect Yahoo back in the early 90's , now they are just another desperate american advertising company

    Well, they are American. I suppose that's good cause to loathe them, if that's your thing. But lately Yahoo has been changing quite a bit. Perhaps you haven't noticed, but after they purchased Flickr, they've been "flickrizing" their apps at a fairly rapid clip. They're overhauling the interfaces to their key apps. Some of their beta apps are work very well and are a pleasure to use. It's easy to add new Yahoo services without getting tied into any Passport-like crap. You can use the apps you like and disregard the ones you don't like.

    They're not first to market, but they're restructing their whole approach to provide regular non-geeks the opportunity to exchange information, establish online communities, create their own blogs, and so on. It's not the Google approach, which is tool-centric. Yahoo is remaking itself as what AOL could have become if it had any brains. As for being an "advertising company" maybe you haven't compared Google web apps to Yahoo web apps lately.

    --
    Read the EFF's Fair Use FAQ
  50. Oh, oh.... wait.... wait... by Colin+Smith · · Score: 1

    Why not create a flood fill system which aggregates all RSS feeds? That way a local server at my ISP could have every RSS feed, locally. It'd save a huge amount of bandwidth...

    It's a news aggregator which uses a network so we could call it UseNet News! how cool would that be?

    --
    Deleted
  51. Personal/shared karma by Colin+Smith · · Score: 1

    The same's true of slashdot. or any group forum. To the individual it's a push medium. The Karma concepts one of the better ones I've seen.

    BTW, was it /. who came up with it?

    --
    Deleted
    1. Re:Personal/shared karma by jfengel · · Score: 1

      I'm not an expert on the history, but I believe that the moderation/karma system was devised by Slashdot. I've never seen anything quite like it. I'm sure there were various predecessors, but Slashdot's is particularly effective.

  52. Why not take it a step further... by PrimeNumber · · Score: 2, Interesting

    And use RSS as a replacement for email entirely.
     
    This would solve many problems associated with regular email IMHO. Instead of receiving dozens of unsolicited emails a {Day,Week,Month}, why not have a system that enables a person to setup an RSS feed intended only for one user.
     
    For example, Alice gives Bob a link to a feed that only Bob knows about which is encrypted, and only Bob can read and subscribe to. Alice adds another feed for Carol, Dave, ad nauseum. If multiple recipients are required for an email, the client updates the feeds for the intended recipients only. A similar concept could be applied to workgroups, each recipient in a workgroup has the same key, enabling only that group to use the feed.
     
    This would be a great replacement especially in situations where you send email to the same people frequently. And it wouldnt be annoying and disruptive like an IM client, you could read your 'email' feed whenever you want. Just a thought.

    1. Re:Why not take it a step further... by philntc · · Score: 1

      a system that enables a person to setup an RSS feed intended only for one user.

      You mean kind of like a white-list? Wouldn't similar problems with white-lists arise in this method too?

      For example, the case where I have never met you, yet would like to communicate with you. How do I get you to subscribe to my blog feed if you don't know me? I'm not sure the approach works for personal mail.

      Now, for broadcast mail like newsletters and the like. I believe, blog feeds are becoming the defacto standard for solicited corporate communications. Totally opt-in, and no ugly "push" technology involved, just take what you like, leave the rest behind...

  53. Vienna by adamwood · · Score: 2, Interesting

    OSX users should take a look at Vienna 2. The author's pedigree is in a conferencing (BBS) off-line reader that did mail and news and the interface is extremely clean and email-like.

  54. Oh you mean... by adnausium · · Score: 1

    ...One RSS to rule them all?

    --
    Don't ya hate it when the correct spelling of your favorite screen name is taken?
  55. Re:And of course... by adnausium · · Score: 1

    ...it would be writen in Sindarin, right?

    --
    Don't ya hate it when the correct spelling of your favorite screen name is taken?
  56. NetNewsWire by Millenniumman · · Score: 1

    I don't understand why you would want to have all of those articles in your inbox. My RSS reader, NetNewsWire, does have a similar interface to my email application, Mail, but it's sufficiently different that I wouldn't want one of them to perform the duty of the other.

    --
    Stupidity is like nuclear power, it can be used for good or evil. And you don't want to get any on you.
  57. Fusemail has had this for over a year by duckworth · · Score: 1

    Fusemail.com has had this feature since August of 2004. It pulls RSS feeds into and email folder and can then be consumed by your imap/pop3 email client or their web based email client. Nothing to see here, please move along....

  58. WTF by wasabii · · Score: 1

    Hasn't anybody ever heard of a mailing list?

  59. Re: one advantage of e-mail vs. RSS by TheLoneGundam · · Score: 1

    This relates to bandwidth concerns. RSS readers use a polling mechanism, constantly checking at intervals to see if anything's there. At least with e-mail (mailing lists anyway) the "news" source only sends data when there's something new to send. I like the XML-based format of RSS (or better, Atom), but maybe it should be delivered to me, rather than my reader and thousands of others polling for it.